About “Water (The First Movement)”

“Water” is the tenth track on 2002’s Phrenology, the first Roots album to come out after original member Malik B left the group due in part to drug problems. “Water” is basically an open letter from Black Thought to Malik B, reminding everybody how they met and how talented his friend “Slacks” was on the mic, and trying to explain how such a talented guy could get caught up in the drug temptations of South Philly – partly because The Roots had such a hard time breaking out of the underground. The funky-ass bassline in this classic is adopted from “Her Story” by The Flying Lizards.